


Freezing Flames

by TofuTurtleHime2468



Category: NU'EST, Produce 101 (TV)
Genre: Friendship, Gen, Little bit of angst, Slice of Life, basically fluffy friendship stuff, cross-posted on asianfanfics, little bit of comedy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-22
Updated: 2017-08-09
Packaged: 2018-11-17 04:17:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 14,790
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11267763
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TofuTurtleHime2468/pseuds/TofuTurtleHime2468
Summary: Sewoon soon realized that if they wanted to pass this stupid history class then they'd have to learn to get along with each other. Oh how relationships were like people standing on a frozen pond while playing with fire, hoping that the icy cover wouldn't break.





	1. Earth

**Author's Note:**

> So highly likely a five chaptered story btw (Also I think it's obvious that this isn't going to directly be derived from what is seen in the episode? I mean I was planning to but it came out as something else but hopefully it still works???)

If Sewoon were to describe his high school, he would say that it is full of those stereotypical social cliques.

There are the hyper theater kids (or 'geeks') like Yoon Jisung or probably any kid that came from MMO middle school- which really had you wonder what that school fed their kids. They were practically the Mean Girls with their gossiping but not really the 'mean' part since the gossiping was completely harmless. Basically they were the most extroverted and interesting kids of the school.

There are the mysterious school rebels (or 'iljin' if you want to be more specific) like Kang Dongho, who was infamous for his strength and simply ditching the school whenever he wanted to. Everyone was intimidated by him and it seemed like the teacher stopped trying to hold him down on school property as he would just find a way around it. Every now and then, kids like Sangbin or Insoo would follow after him to who knows where.

There are the graceful dance kids like Hong Eunki or Zhu Jung Jung, who were so elegant and focused on their dance that they'd sometimes move like they were dancing instead of walking or just casually bring their leg up to support themselves on the wall while chatting with someone. Watching them was like watching a musical every day- and a very cliche one at that as there was some sort of tension between the two that were mentioned.

There are the cool and chic city kids like Choi Minki or more like him and his friends Hwang Minhyun and Kim Jonghyun from Pledis Academy, who's presence made you feel like you're a lot smaller and insignificant compared to them. Basically anyone was too intimidated to just walk up and talk to them casually with such a presence unless you were Hyunbin who seemed oddly close to them. ~~(Don't even get him started on the fanboys that Minki has)~~

There are the arrogant jocks like Ong Seongwoo, who was handsome but a bit on the pretentious side. Obviously he wasn't a bully or anything like that, more-so he was a really prideful and confident kind of guy- yes it was funny from time to time with that kind of arrogance which was a pro, but that arrogance was also a bit of a con. Sewoon didn't really know, it seemed like everyone loved Seongwoo so the arrogance was probably seen as a con to him due to his quiet personality.

There are the bright popular kids like Lee Daehwi, Park Jihoon or Joo Haknyeon, where any of the kids mentioned has popularity that sky-rocketed from just a simple action or just some unknown action that led to their faces and names being heard or seen at least 2 times a day with two polar opposite contexts of either admiration or hate for their 'greediness'. They were also the "teacher's pets" in way with the faculty of the school always spoiling them with attention that seemed too excessive.

And then there are the quiet outcasts like himself, a.k.a. Jung Sewoon, who were too quiet and ignored by anyone because they were overshadowed by everyone else. They were extremely introverted so it was more common to see them either in a small group together or just doing a hobby to ignore their surroundings- the latter being a case where Sewoon would spend his time secluding himself from everyone else and play his guitar, trying to compose a song.

"Group 5 is Kang Dongho, Choi Minki, Lee Daehwi, and Jung Sewoon."

So if everyone is distinctly different and unique on his own, how did the group randomizer mess up  _this_ badly?

Out of habit, he sends a look over to his best friend, Gwanghyun, across the room, where they both shared the same wide-eyed expression of 'excuse me? Did I hear that right?' while the rest of the room bursted into murmured chattering, making the teacher have to raise her voice to try to get everyone to stop talking.

_"No way, Kang Dongho, Choi Minki, Lee Daehwi, and Jung Sewoon together in a group?"_

_"Dang, never thought I'd see any of them together."_

_"Isn't Daehwi like super scared of Dongho though?"_

_"Oof, I wish them luck with dealing with Minki."_

_"Who's Sewoon?"_

_"Dude will they even get this project done without any casualities?"_

_"This is gonna be interesting..."_

And now, here Sewoon was, awkwardly taking a glance to around the table to his current groupmates:

To his right, the rebel of the school, to his front, the cool and chic city boy, to his left, the popular kid, and himself, the quiet outcast.

Unlike all of the other groups, their's was the most quiet and jammed in awkward silence but Sewoon knew that the other students were low-key observing with amusement as to how the completely different boys belonging to completely different social cliques would work together as a group.

. . .

"... I'm not doing this." Dongho proclaimed, getting up from his seat before grabbing his bag and leaving the classroom. With his presence gone, Minki scoffed whereas Daehwi lets out a breath of relief. So now it was confirmed that it seemed like Sewoon was the only one who cared about working together to pass the class.

The new found discovery was only further proved when Daehwi's friends came over to chat with him while Minki physically ditched them in favor of heading over to where Minhyun and Jonghyun were.

 _This is going to go just "peachy"..._ so Sewoon thought as he passed a helpless glance to Gwanghyun, who sent back a pitying one.

* * *

"Well considering that this project counts as your final, isn't your grade gonna flunk really badly?" Jaehwan asked by the time that they reached lunch.

"Yeah," Sewoon sighs, not knowing as to what he should do as he sets his guitar aside glumly. The history class was already bad in the first place what with the class being a mix of students from different years of high school and the teacher never clarifying the due date so the fact that she made their 'final exam' a group project for some odd reason made it even worse. The group project would've been fine if they got to choose their partners but of course the teacher had to go randomise students into groups.

"Cheer up man, knowing you, you'll do fine," Gwanghyun pats Sewoon on the back but the latter can only let out another sigh, "I don't want to work on an entire project by myself though."

"Why don't you befriend them then?"

Sewoon and Gwanghyun blinked before looking up at Jaehwan like he just grew another head or antlers sprouted out of his head(s) or- you get the gist. Gwanghyun was the first to reply with, "'Befriend them'? You mean befriend the violent Dongho, the cold-hearted Minki, and the greedy Daehwi? No offense, but that sounds as good as walking up to a lion and hugging it with meat hanging off of your neck."

"G-Gwanghyun-ah... that's a bit much..." Sewoon stuttered, worried that they'd get attack by some sort of fan or admirer hidden in a bush nearby.

Jaehwan held his hands up in defense, "Okay, jeez, no need to attack your hyung with sarcasm. I'm just saying that I've been in a group project with stone Minhyun twice and he's actually a pretty decent guy once you're acquainted with him and Jonghyun literally has the heart of an angel. Come on Gwanghyun-ah, you've been in a group project with Minki before."

"I say 'cold-hearted' for the reason that he did his part of the project but didn't talk to anyone but Justin and some times Jung Jung," Gwanghyun pointed out.

"Well we're trying to make Sewoon-ah feel better about his situation," Jaehwan protested.

Before the conversation could go back and forth, Sewoon interrupted, "Guys, I get it. If I don't want to work on the project alone or fail the class, then I need to at least be acquainted with them to get the project done. Not necessarily good friends because I still need to be wary, but enough to at be on speaking-terms."

And you'd think that these guidelines are quite easy to follow right?

Welp, not really.


	2. Air

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Have I mentioned that I tend to skip time a lot? o-o I-I do that a lot since I'm not good at spending time with the complete, slow process of how it goes... (also when I say "days left" I'm including the weekends too)

_Day 1 of trying to be on talking-terms with my group mates... okay, I can do this!_ Sewoon internally cheered himself on as he opened the door to his classroom without Gwanghyun and Jaehwan by his side since they were already there for a planned working during lunch with their groups. The desks were already set up for groups assigned by the teacher but at the sight of his supposed group the cheer immediately got bulldozed over when he saw that Daehwi was already sitting in a group where his other friends were whereas Dongho and Minki were no where present in the classroom.

 _Great..._ Sewoon internally sighed, his gaze drifting over to Daehwi's laughing friend group. He would have asked Daehwi about working on the project since he was the only one present but 1) he was an introvert and 2) Daehwi had a very large friend group: introvert + large group of people = does not compute

"Yah, what are you doing standing at the doorway for."

Sewoon froze before turning around and seeing Minki gazing at him with that frigid stare with Minhyun and Jonghyun standing behind the blond like bodyguards or something. He stutters, "S-S-Sorry-"

"Hey, aren't you my group mate or something?" the blond tilts his head in an innocent manner.

"I'm Jung Sewoon... and yeah, we're in the s-same group..." Sewoon really shouldn't be stuttering considering that he wasn't talking to a large group of people but that gaze of Minki's was pretty but also intimidating ~~or maybe it was Minki's fanboys and bodyguards that were staring holes into the back of his head.~~

Minki takes a look around the classroom before turning back to him, "Aren't you gonna sit? We should start on the project before we fail this dumb class."

 _Oh... that turned out better than I thought it would..._ Sewoon could only nod before turning and walking to a desk group fit for his amount of group mates, sitting down at it and surprised to see Minki sitting in front of him like yesterday. He was also surprised to see Daehwi standing to his left, nervously smiling, "Um- are we working now...?" Sewoon nods slowly, wondering why the popular boy was so nervous being by them.

"Okay, so the topi-"

"Er-" Sewoon tensely watched Daehwi freezing before continuing to stutter, "I'm sorry, b-but shouldn't we wait for Dongho...-ssi?" Yup this kid was definitely afraid of the school rebel is he addressed Dongho formally even if Dongho was probably no where close to being on the school campus.

However, Minki huffed indignantly, "No way is that f*BLEEP*tard gonna be here."

Wow that escalated quickly and it escalated even more when Minki turned to Daehwi and actually glared at the youngest, "What? You want him to be here or something?"

"W-What?! No- wait- um- n-n-no!" Daehwi looked like he'd actually cry which is never a good sign. Minki lets out a sigh, standing up from his seat, "Forget it. Even the idea of him being in the same group as me is nauseating." and he left the group to go hang out with Minhyun and Jonghyun yet again.

"I-I'm sorry..." Daehwi apologized to no one in particular as he held his head down as though he should be ashamed of something.

"It's okay. We can... uh..." Sewoon stumbled around in his mind for something because he was not the best at cheering someone up.

"At least begin the project?"

"Y-Yeah, at least begin the project! M-Maybe at the library after school..."

Thank gawd the bell rang for their next class to save him from embarrassing himself further.

* * *

"Sorry for the wait," Daehwi greeted with a polite smile as he takes a seat across from Sewoon, who looks up from a book that he grabbed while waiting for the younger. He takes a look around before asking, "Is Minki-ssi and Dongho-ssi not coming...?"

 _More like I couldn't talk to Minki and I couldn't find Dongho,_ Sewoon restrained himself from saying that, instead shaking his head, "No. How about we start the project before splitting up the work to give to them?"

"O-Oh..." the younger looked slightly disappointed for some reason, making Sewoon ask, "Is something wrong...?" At that, Daehwi jolted, awkwardly smiling, "A-Ah it's nothing too i-important, haha..." but he was only more concerned for the younger. Honestly speaking, Daehwi was a lot more shy and awkward than Sewoon thought he would be what with all of the rumors that he was 'greedy for attention', 'unfair', and a 'teacher's pet'- not to mention his large friend group- so really he had all the wrong impressions about him. The boy in front of him looked like he couldn't even do harm to an ant.

Daehwi changes the subject, "A-Anyways, what topic should we choose?"

 _Right, we're meeting up for a project,_ the quiet boy nearly forgot. He pulls a notebook out of his bag to make the fact that he forgot that they were only group mates less noticeable, saying, "Well I was thinking that we could choose music as our topic."

"Music?"

"Er- unless you don't want to. I was just thinking since I have an interest in music..." Sewoon murmured before Daehwi frantically interrupted, "No no no, I-I wasn't complaining, I-I was just wondering... I don't know, I w-would like that topic too... um- don't you play an instrument, Sewoon-ssi?"

"Hyung is fine," and he silently hoped that that didn't sound too casual or make it seem like he's forcing the younger, "And yeah, I play the guitar some times."

"Really?" Daehwi looked at him with eyes of adoration, "That's really cool! Could you teach me how to play?" Before he could answer to that the boy flinched, looking like he realized that he made a terrible mistake, returning to a meek attitude yet again as he avoids eye contact by keeping his head down and looking at his lap, murmuring, "N-Never mind, th-that was really rude of me."

"It's fine," the boy across from him looks up in surprise and he tries to reassure him with a small smile, "I don't mind teaching you." Sewoon was actually quite pleased with the idea that Daehwi had an interest in the guitar.

 

_50 days left until the presentation._

 

* * *

Sewoon was certain that he became acquainted with Daehwi by now as they had taken time during every lunch to teach Daehwi how to play the guitar with a couple minutes after school for extra work time on the project together. Some times they would plan for time periods on the weekend days to meet at the park for some more guitar practice. The younger has stopped stuttering and being nervous and shy around him with the lessons, more free and relaxed as they spent more time with each other. By then, it felt like it was more-so a paired partner assignment since no signs of Minki nor Dongho were seen for the past couple days.

Well maybe it was also for the fact that Daehwi seemed less crowded by his friends lately. It wasn't really a factor that bothered Sewoon personally, but it was obvious that it bothered the younger as some times he would glance up from the area that Sewoon hid behind where practicing the guitar went unnoticeable by other students. Daehwi always seemed disappointed when he caught sight of a friend of his who passed right in front of them but would pay no attention to him.

It was only until recently that Sewoon noticed that every day at a different period of time Daehwi's friend group changed each of those times he would see the younger.

It was only until recently that he realized that the "bright and cheerful" Daehwi was so awkward and seemed gloomier compared to the first impression.

*SNAP*

Both of them flinched as a guitar strings had snapped loudly from the younger trying to tune the instrument and tightening it too far. Daehwi turned to Sewoon with a panicked and guilty expression before he gapes instead, "H-Hyung, y-you're bleeding..."

He follows Daehwi gaze and looks down to his arm, a small cut on it right beneath his short-sleeved dress shirt's sleeve as the weather had been warmer lately. Honestly Sewoon wasn't playing attention to the pain more-so the sound of the string whipping through the air, but now that it's been pointed out the cut does sting; however, he's more worried about the younger since he knew that snapped strings caused more damage than what people think, "I'll be fine, are you okay?"

Daehwi meekly nods as he stared down at the broken string, "I-I'm sorry about your string... what are you going to do about it?"

"I needed to replace the strings this week anyways so don't worry too much about it," Sewoon smiled reassuringly as he grabbed his bag to find an adhesive bandage lying somewhere between his notebooks and folders, "We'll just stop practicing for the day."

"O-Oh... then should I l-leave since your friends probably want to hang out with you..." Daehwi was about to pick up his stuff before Sewoon interrupted with, "It's okay. They're working with their groups so you can stay," as he managed to find an adhesive bandage to peel and stick over his cut.

"A-Are you sure...?" the younger's eyes reflected feelings that showed that his happiness was being contradicted by guilt.

"Yeah, it's fine. Again, don't worry about it too much," Sewoon softly pulled his guitar away from Daehwi, putting it into its case before clicking it shut securely.

"Um- thanks. I was worried that I was bothering you, hyung."

"Why would I be bothered?" he really wasn't since it wasn't like Daehwi's large friend group was crowding around them or anything and it was easier to talk to the younger now so he had no problem.

The boy in front of him looked at him unsurely, fidgeting with the hem of his dress shirt, nervously saying with a quiet voice, "People hate me and say that I give off a weird vibe... How else am I suppose to react to that? I mean, doesn't hyung think that too...?"

Sewoon was confused as to what Daehwi was talking about before thinking about a group project beforehand where students were randomly picked and they could pick their own groupmates to create a presentation that would be graded depending on another group who had the same topic as them. The younger was the first to go with whispers spreading across the classroom that he went first because he was the 'teacher's pet'. He picked the most popular students that were a part of the same social clique as him, worsening the whispers. Rumors spreaded like wildfire after they got the better grade of the group they were against even though that group had better results, leading to Daehwi being called 'greedy' and was automatically shunned by plenty.

"Ah, are you referring to the first group project of the year?" and when Daehwi flinched, Sewoon realized that he got it spot on, carefully wording his next sentence, "Well, I do admit that I didn't exactly like you either after all of that and the rumors and opinions of other students didn't help much either, but... I realized at one point, that you're still pretty young and at this age, you make plenty of mistakes. It couldn't be helped that your friends at the time were 'popular' and 'teacher's pets' too, but..." he saw how small Daehwi looked by now, noticing that he was still hurt and scared so he could say his next words with confident.

"You've learned from your mistakes, and it shows that you're not as greedy and overconfident as others say."

Daehwi looks up to Sewoon, his eyes wide with shock.

"Obviously it's tiring to hear about you every day from every mouth possible, but when I got to know you better, you're just like any other person: you want to succeed, you have dreams, you have interests, you're scared of something, and you want people to like you. You can get hyper and you can get lonely at any given time. You're... not at all as bad as anyone talks about- no, in fact, you're completely normal but you have a postive attitude that's really nice and likeable," Sewoon at this point realized that he might have overstepped the boundary line between stranger and acquaintance with the younger's comfort zone, panic setting into him as he stutters, "M-My bad, I-I think I went too far..."

But Daehwi suddenly cried.

With a smile.

He was crying while smiling, "Thanks hyung, that's... really nice of you. No one has ever told me that... Everyone that I met- I thought that they would be my friends until the end of time but they always... always left me behind for someone else... and I find new friends only for the cycle to start over again. With you, it feels like I'm not that lonely with these lessons since I know that you'll always be there... it actually feels like my life isn't stuck in a cliche about 'popular kids'."

Sewoon was surprised that the younger felt lonely but it did made sense as even though his friend groups were large, their connections weren't necessarily secure. He was about to search through his bags for tissues or a handkerchief when he was suddenly hugged by the younger.

Daehwi was sobbing now.

 _He... He's held a lot in, hasn't he? He's suffered from a lot more things than I thought..._ Sewoon carefully hugs back the younger softly, rubbing his back to try to soothe him, "It's okay... I wouldn't leave you..."

It's then he realized that rather than overstepping the boundary lines between stranger and acquaintance, he overcame the boundary lines between acquaintances and friends.

 

_ 31 days left until the presentation. _


	3. Water

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Minki's chapter will kind of overlap into Dongho's chapter (as an early notification just in case you guys don't realize it by the end of the chapter).

"Do you think that Minki-ssi or Dongho-ssi will finally come today?" Daehwi nervously asked as they sat in their seats. Sewoon could only answer with, "I'm not sure. As much as I know, Minki most likely won't show up as long as he's aware of Dongho's presence anywhere near the campus."

The younger immediately looked down before Sewoon tried to cheer him up, "Um- i-it's okay. My friend, Jaehwan, he's friends with one of Minki's friends and although that would be more complicated than necessary he could talk to him to deliver to Minki his part of the project." The sentence dd seem to have its charms as Daehwi managed to laugh softly at that.

"What's this about me?"

The two froze before looking up to Minki, who was literally staring down at them as he was still standing, a hand on his hip as he glared at the two. Sewoon clarified weakly, "W-We were talking about your part of the project..." They carefully watch as the blond in front of them stares at them before asking at a painfully slow pace, "Are you guys part of my group?" to which Sewoon was dumbfounded at. As much as he would have liked to say 'Haven't we been over this before?' he was still nervous so he asks, "Um- I believe I introduced myself before... I'm Jung Sewoon?"

Minki blinked at him with those large, doll-like eyes, making him more nervous before.

"I can't remember your name. I'm just gonna call you Ponyo."

"P-Ponyo...?" Sewoon was very confused as to where a famous Ghibli character came into the blond's mind. He watched as Minki reacted so normally as he took his seat in front of him.

"'Cause you look like Ponyo."

 _Well then..._ so he soon realized that the blond was rather blunt, never beating the bush around. Maybe that was why people were intimidated by him: he spoke what was on his mind.

"U-Uh, so we decided on the topic for music history, if you don't mind..." Daehwi grew some sort of courage before letting out a 'meep!' when Minki turned to look at him. It did go a lot smoother than they thought it would as Minki agreed nonchalantly, "That's fine."

* * *

_Okay so we managed to split the work with him at the very least. I guess the question is if he can finish it well, but didn't he go to that Pledis Academy? From what I've heard it has a pretty tough schooling system..._ Sewoon took his guitar out of his locker and closed it properly before hearing the banging of lockers at the end of the hallway. When he looked towards where the sound came from, his eyes widened at the sight of a group of bullies pushing around a small boy, who Sewoon could barely recognizeed as Kim Yongjin. He was known as a constant victim of bullying as people bullied him for his looks and for being one of Minki's fanboys, which didn't help much with his situation as Minki was feminine in appearance and the situation would just escalate as students tried to bring him down behind his back.

Sewoon was going to step in one he saw them shove Yongjin to the ground and crowd around him to beat him more. He couldn't sit still with the sight of the poor boy curling up to protect himself before he heard someone shout and made him stop in his tracks like the bullies.

"YAH BACK OFF FROM HIM!"

And then Sewoon watched out of pure confusion as Minki suddenly charged forward and swung his elbow into the bully's face, successfully giving the latter a bloody nose and knocking him down onto the ground. It was absurd but it at least worked.

The lackies looked not only shocked but also slightly scared as it was the first time anyone heard the chic boy scream and look this angry. While Minki was mumbling under his breath about how gross and unsanitary it was that he got blood on his shoe from the bully collapsing onto his foot before rolling to the ground he noticed that they were staring at him. He simply looks up and glares, successfully making the lackies pick up their leader and make a run for it.

Minki lets out a huff before turning to Yongjin, kneeling down and gently asking the small boy, "Are you okay?"

Yongjin blinked as tears were still in the corner of his eyes, "Th-That... was AMAZING SUNBAENIM!"

 _Oops, forgot that he was Minki's fanboy,_ Sewoon stifled a laugh as even Minki looked taken aback from the boy's sudden excitement.

"As I thought not only are you the prettiest and coolest student of the school but you're also brave and kind! Ah wait until the others hear about this!" Yongjin got excited quickly whereas the blond only chuckled, "Alright, I get it. C'mon, let's get you to the nurse for an ice pack now." Minki helped Yongjin stand up but before they left from Sewoon's sight, Minki turned and stared at him even while taking the turn to leave his vision. Sewoon wasn't sure as to what that stare was for.

 

_29 days left until the presentation._

 

* * *

There was a tragedy that no one would forget, even three years after the tragedy took place. Many people, especially parents who lost their child in the tragedy, came to pay their respects to those who lost their life. Of course it was only respectful that Sewoon came too, nearly being swallowed up by the crowd that was there for the memorial. When the memorial ended and the crowd moved away, Sewoon barely took notice to a blonde girl with a black cap on, staying behind and... crying? He thought that maybe the girl lost someone dear to her in the incident so he slowly walks over to her, asking, "Are you okay?"

The girl sniffles before turning to him with eyes that were large with surprise, "Ponyo...?"

Sewoon tried to shake away the thought of 'crap that's not a girl that was Minki'.

The two sat on a bench near a vending machine as they watched people leaving with a solemn face or a face covered with tears. The cold cans of coffee were warm now as neither of them touched it in the silence that sat between them. Sewoon felt uncomfortable with the atmosphere so he tried to start a conversation with, "I didn't expect you to come here..."

"Of course I'd come here," Minki huffed indignantly even though his eyes were still pink from crying earlier that day.

"Did you know someone who was in the tragedy?"

"No." The short and curt answer made Sewoon look at the blond in confusion, the latter returning with a glare, "What? I'm not allowed to pay my respects?" and Sewoon immediately retracted, trying to cover with, "O-Oh no, that's not what I meant. I-I mean that it didn't seem like you would... you know..."

"Yes and I'm a normal student by day but a magical school girl by night fighting evil in the name of the moon," Minki snorted but considering the situations he's ran into with the blond he couldn't help but widen his eyes and asked, "Really?" before being flicked on the head by the blond.

"No not 'really'. Jeez I'd expect Ponyo to at least realize what sarcasm is but turns out he's just a bingu," he scoffed with the roll of his eyes, to which Sewoon couldn't help but pout at that. There was a moment of silence between the two that was too awkward for even Sewoon to deal with before Minki thankfully spoke up, "I thought you would've realized by now that I'm human too."

He was confused at that sentence because he didn't expect Minki to say something like that before remembering that he was blunt- it was in his nature. Minki continued, not even bothering to look up at Sewoon as he'd rather stare at the can of warm coffee in his hands, "Just because I'm 'cool and chic' doesn't mean I don't know how to cry for someone I don't even know... how to protect someone I don't even know... how to deal with the idea of being more flawed than anyone else..." The blond suddenly lets out a sigh, "Aisht, I don't even understand why I have fanboys or why I'm even telling this much to someone who looks like Ponyo."

"I... Should I take offense to that...?" Sewoon couldn't help but question cluelessly.

Minki giggled at the question, "Ah, you really are a bingu~..." and it was an endearing expression really, something more fitting and innocent for his face, before a dark expression took place, "How nice..." he nearly whispered as his thumb ran over a small dent in his can of coffee.

Sewoon wondered where the blond was trying to go with the discussion before he suddenly rose from his seat, looking down at the seated Sewoon- a familiar sight to the latter. Minki stared at him coldly, even more so than before, as though he was just like any other student.

"Look, I appreciate that you're trying to bring the group together for the final, but don't go using feelings just for an A to be seen on a flimsy piece of paper."

He left quickly, not even waiting for Sewoon to speak up and leaving the introvert to his own demise. To say that Sewoon was confused was an understatement before he noticed that something was left behind on the bench where Minki originally was.

A broken black bracelet with a single bright pink bead held in the center of it.

 

_23 days left until the presentation._

 

* * *

"Have you seen Minki-ssi today?" he knew the question was sudden to Daehwi who was holding his guitar, even to Jaehwan and Gwanghyun who's groups didn't decide to work today in the morning but were okay with Daehwi's presence at the very least. The three simultaneously shook their heads, Sewoon sighing inwardly as the bracelet was still in his bag, having yet to be brought out, not to mention that after the conversation with Minki, he was staring at Daehwi, wondering if he was using Daehwi's feelings.

 _That's not true. We just grew more comfortable with each other than I thought we would... right?_ he wondered if Daehwi ever thought about whether he was being used or not.

"Did you find it yet?"

The four looked up to see Minhyun and Jonghyun from a far, both looking out of breath and frustrated yet panicked. Jonghyun shook his head sadly to Minhyun's question, the latter clicking his tongue in annoyance. Jaehwan spoke up since he was already on good-terms with at least Minhyun, asking, "Hey guys, you okay?" He was successful in catching their attentions as Minhyun says loudly, "No, we're having a lot of problems right now."

"Do you guys want help?" Jaehwan asked.

Minhyun and Jonghyun share a look before Jonghyun answers, "We're trying to find a black bracelet with a pink bead on it! It's Minki-yah's so we'd appreciate it if you find it and hand it to us before class because it seems like we'll have to leave school to search the town with Minki." Sewoon was recognized the description, about to tell them that he had it but it seemed like Minhyun came up with and idea, hurriedly telling Jonghyun his idea that was inaudible to them before they split up immediately afterwards. The actions left Sewoon guilty as he wasn't quick enough to react before they exhausted themselves more.

His guilt worsened when neither of the three 'cool and chic' boys were present during their history class.

* * *

School ended quicker than usual as Sewoon and Daehwi left school campus. They were talking about guitar tricks when playing when the two saw a familiar blond boy pacing back and forth anxiously outside of the campus, still in his pajamas as it would seem seeing how he had on a baggy sweater and sweatpants that were long enough to cover his feet. Minki looks up and coincidently directly at them, shouting, "Ponyo!" before jogging up to the two.

"Um- y-yeah?" Sewoon felt a bit nervous.

"When I left, did you find a black bracelet with a pink bead on it?! I've been looking everywhere for it!" Minki was extremely distressed, a similar image to how Minhyun and Jonghyun were in the morning. Sewoon immediately recognized the description, clumsily opening his bag with a hand before bringing out the bracelet, "Y-You mean this?" The blond immediately grabs the bracelet and holds it to his chest, his shoulders relaxing as a sigh of relief comes out.

"Is that bracelet precious to you?" Daehwi asked out of pure curiosity before shutting his mouth as though he made the biggest mistake of his life; however, Minki didn't react as badly as they thought he would, instead staring at his bracelet with a nostalgic smile, "M-hm, it's very dear..."

Before they could go any further into their conversation, Minhyun and Jonghyun passed them, worriedly asking Minki 'did you find your bracelet?' before both express their reliefs at the blond showing them his returned bracelet, saying, "Ponyo kept it for me."

"'Ponyo'?" Jonghyun asked before Minki pointed at Sewoon, who at least tried to offer a awkward smile before Minhyun recognized his face, angrily saying, "Wait a minute, you were with Jaehwan! Why didn't you say anything earlier?!"

"Well-"

"You had it but didn't notify us?" Jonghyun's eyebrows scrunched up, "Are you one of Minki's obsessive fanboys?"

"Um!"

Sewoon was surprised that Daehwi spoke loudly to get their attention before meekly saying, "C-Can you stop accusing Sewoon-hyung? You guys did leave too quickly for him to react on time so please don't be mad at him..." he was also surprised that Minki spoke up, sighing, "Yeah, the kid's right. What are you guys getting frustrated at Ponyo for? Besides, I don't need you guys to try to defend me, it's not like we're 7 anymore so I don't need you guys to be my bodyguards."

Minhyun and Jonghyun looked embarrassed from being told off by the blond, apologizing about their attitudes, Minki only giving another sigh before dimissing the two. Ironically, the gesture did make it seem like they were his bodyguards as they walked ahead, sneaking glances back at him every now and then.

"I should thank you for finding my bracelet, I guess," Minki's gaze drifts from Sewoon to Daehwi, "Why'd you go defend Ponyo though?"

Under the stare of the blond, Daehwi stutters, "B-Because... he needed help...? A-And he's been helping me all the time so..."

"Isn't it going to end when the project ends though?" he should've expected Minki to be blunt as usual but he didn't expect such a thing to come into the conversation.

Daehwi quickly understood what he meant though, slowly saying with a stable voice, "I... I don't think it's going to end when the project ends. A thing that's been holding us close is our love for music. I think that... as long as that common interest doesn't die... then we'll meet each other like any other friend..." the younger looks at Sewoon with a smile, the latter returning it at hearing that.

The silence between the three went tense when they realized that Minki wasn't going to let them off that easily before the blond sighs, "After school at the cafe tomorrow nearest to this school. If you're late then I have every right to make my work look like we didn't put in any team effort to put the entire presentation together." He huffs before sharply turns and goes off in the direction that his other two friends went.

It took a moment of silence before the two realized that maybe the group project wasn't going to be as bad as they thought it would be, grinning at each other for their unintentional success.

 

_21 days left._


	4. Fire

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sudden realization that it should've been Sewoon and Dongho fighting/tension in this fic/chapter but it ended up being about Dongho and Minki fighting/tension... welp... this is a very late realization... in complete honesty I just wanted to write about Playing With Fire team =v="

* * *

The cafe had a cozy atmosphere, a nice place to relax at after a stressful day of school. Pledis Cafe was well-known for its coffee and live music performed by the employees. Sewoon went too the cafe once with his friends but they didn't stay for long due to coming to 10 minutes before closing time.

"How do we have Mink-ssi warm-up to us?" Daehwi asked once they've reached the entrance. The older had to think for a bit before sighing, "I'm not quite sure either. For now, let's try our best to get along with him."

Once they opened the cafe, they were greeted with the scent of coffee along with the sounds of a guitar and a soothing voice. Sewoon and Daehwi walked around the cafe in a clueless manner before finding the blond sitting at a table by the corner, messing with his phone. Minki was completely distracted by his phone as a cup of tea and a slice of chocolate cake covered with whipped cream were laid out in front of him, both completely untouched. When they reached the table, Sewoon's gaze was focused on what was dangling off of Minki's phone; the black bracelet with a pink bead was re-tied as a phone charm.

Minki looked up eventually, saying in a bored tone, "Oh, you're here." The blond places his phone on the table before gesturing to them to sit across from him as he reaches for his bag to pull out a small laptop.

"So how much did you get done so far?" Sewoon asked as they settled down.

"I've picked some resources on music history in Europe. Other than that I haven't started summarizing on anything," Minki opened his laptop and showed the two his resources before adding, "Anything specific I should add?"

"Try to figure out if there's been any instrument or type of music that came from outside of the continent. That would help in making the presentation go smoother since each of us are assigned with different continents," Sewoon said, glancing over to Daehwi who suddenly froze in his spot. He wondered if the younger spotted an old friend of his or maybe a tormentor but he looked up to see Dongho.

The table went silent as Dongho stared- probably glared- at them. Minki spoke up with venom in his voice, "What are  _you_ doing here?"

Dongho didn't answer, his gaze drifting towards the table and landing on the phone with the black and pink phone charm. The infamous rebel picks up the phone, staring at the phone charm while talking in an amused tone. "You kept it?"

"GIVE THAT BACK!" Minki abruptly got up from his chair and charged after Dongho, trying to grab his phone only for Dongho to dodge consistently from his grabs.

"You even kept your password the exact same, not to mention you still have Lady Gaga as your background?" he teased, making Minki's face turn bright red from an obvious mixture of anger and embarrassment.

Sewoon didn't think that the situation could worsen from this but he was quickly proven wrong. Minki grabbed the plate with his slice of chocolate cake and smashed the cake into Dongho's face before grabbing his phone. The blond harrumphed, placing the plate back onto the table before checking to see if his new phone charm hadn't snapped yet like when it was still a bracelet. He didn't realize his guard was down as Dongho had grabbed his cup of tea and poured the cooled down drink right over his blond head before placing the empty cup back down nonchalantly.

The two that were still sitting down watched in horror as Minki tried to actually attack Dongho. Too bad that the latter had a buffer build, easily overpowering the blond into a headlock. The blond struggled to get out of his grip, eventually trying to claw against Dongho's arm. Sewoon was about to tell the latter to stop but noticed something about his facial expression.

Nostalgia.

It was like Dongho was looking at the struggling blond with warmth that Sewoon thought that he would never see.

"OW! Why did you bite me?!" Dongho lets go of Minki once he bit his arm. The latter childishly sticks out his tongue, saying with irritation, "I would've bitten a chunk of your skin out if it was sanitary!"

"What are you a psychopath?!"

"And what are you, an idiot?!"

"You're driving me crazy!"

"Well so are you!"

"Ahem." The two stopped bickering when they turned to an employee who stood there, looking unimpressed as he states, "I'd appreciate it if you two carry your argument outside instead of inside the cafe."

And the four were now outside of the cafe, contemplating on what life choices had led them to this point. Sewoon glances back to only end up seeing two blurs: Minki silently heading off in one direction, Dongho heading off in the other direction. He shared a glance with Daehwi before both of them sigh.

 

_20 days left._

 

* * *

Sewoon didn't have much of a clue as to do anymore. As much as he could tell, they missed their chance to actually discuss with Dongho as to what their project is and Minki disappeared from school yet again. As he sat on a bench, he strummed a tune on his guitar, a tune that didn't exist on a music sheet yet. He wondered where Daehwi was as he waited outside for the boy so that the two could plan how to get in contact with Dongho again. He shouldn't feel impatient considering that Daehwi only needed to talk with his math teacher about grades but he was still antsy either way as the days were decreasing.

A sigh escapes his mouth before he looks over when he feels a presence sit besides him. When he looks over, he ends up nearly jumping out of shock because the last person he expected to see at a park after school was Dongho.

"U-Um, hello..." Sewoon greets awkwardly. Dongho didn't really help in the already awkward atmosphere as he didn't even greet back at all, his gaze instead being on his guitar. The school rebel asks, "You have an interest in music?"

"Yeah... I like the instrument aspect of it."

"I like the vocal aspect of it."

~Awkward moment of silence.~

"Uh... what kind of music do you like? I like acoustic."

"I like rock."

~Another awkward moment of silence.~

"... Dongho-ssi?"

"Yeah?"

"You're not doing this on purpose, right?"

"No."

. . .

Sewoon actually jumps in his seat when Dongho suddenly bursts out into laughter- very loud laughing that is. Honestly though, who wouldn't jump when the "big-bad iljin" of the school is laughing so freely with Ponyo. Would he have caught on to the contagious-ness of Dongho's laughter? That would probably be a yes if he wasn't currently thinking 'he can laugh?!'

"Ha... sorry, it's just that this conversation is really funny..." Dongho wheezed a bit. A smile was still on Dongho's face as he held his stomach that probably hurts from laughing so hard. Sewoon couldn't agree at that though as he practically hugged his guitar in confusion. He stops a sigh from escaping from his mouth when he responds with, "I guess I'm glad you find the conversation funny...? But this is conversation is more awkward for me than it is anything else..."

"You're not scared?" Dongho asked suddenly, an abrupt question that changed the topic completely.

He was close to answering 'yes' without a second thought before the word got caught in his throat. Any other time, the iljin looked impossible to walk up to with that intimidating glare and that large figure that towers over anyone. That's at least how the campus sees him as but right here at this moment of time... Sewoon couldn't really see such an image at the moment. Maybe if he squinted or focused on his intimidating body he would be scary, but all he could see at the moment was how the smile was so easy on Dongho's face. The smile seemed to fit with so much more ease than that constantly glaring face.

"Actually... no, not really," the words felt a bit foreign but it worked nonetheless, "You're not as intimidating as the school makes you out to be, especially when you're smiling so... freely..."

"That's nice to hear- well, this environment is better anyways and not as stuffy as the one at school. It's nice to be away from all of those judging stares," Dongho sighed, a tired expression to match. "You know, you're actually the second person to say that truthfully."

"Second? Then who was first?"

"As hard as it is to believe, it's Min-"

"WHY DO I HAVE TO SEE YOUR STUPID FACE HERE?!"

"-ki..." Dongho sighed again. As if on cue, Minki comes marching over with Daehwi- who looked panicked- following after the blond who begins to start yelling at Dongho about the incident from yesterday. Sewoon would've tried to stop their argument before it grew worse but he was too busy being stunned over this new found information. The idea of terrifying Dongho and cold (not to mention extremely sassy) Minki originally being friends or at least on talking terms was a bit hard for Sewoon to digest what with Minki always looking bothered by Dongho's presence.

"L-Let's not fight-"

"I can't believe you're here with Ponyo after you poured tea all over me!"

"I can't believe you held a grudge for three days."

"Yah I don't care if you're older than me by a few months but no one scoffs at me!"

He watches Daehwi waddles like a crab awkwardly away from the two over to his side, asking, "When will they not fight?" Sewoon could only shake his head, "I have no idea. By the way, how did you get Minki-ssi to follow you?"

"It's because he was in to catch up on what he missed during school and spotted me after leaving," Daehwi awkwardly laughed. That was easier to understand than the argument he was watching at the moment. Sewoon lets out a sigh, "Anyways, can you guys not argue in public again?"

"No, Ponyo! In fact I'm gonna continue to yell at this guy even though my a** is freezing off!" the latter sentence was further proven by Minki's pale complexion some how becoming paler then before. Dongho murmured something along the lines of 'you still have a potty mouth' and caused the blond to shoot a glare.

"Well..."  everyone turns to Daehwi, who hesitantly continues, "My house is actually nearby... if you want to continue talking..."

* * *

After a moment of walking that was awkwardly silent that made the trip seem longer than it was, they finally reached Daehwi's house. They immediately met the youngest's more than excited mother as she freely tells them to stay as long as they want, basically implying that they should have a sleepover since tomorrow would be the weekend. The sight was endearing nonetheless, seeing how her eye shined with excitement whereas her son's face burned with embarrassment before he rushed the other three upstairs to his room.

"She's nice," oddly enough, Dongho was the first to speak up once Daehwi shut the door closed, "Reminds me of Minki's mom." At the last comment, Sewoon and Daehwi blinked before turning to Minki, who turned and huffed childishly.

"Hwi-yah! Come back down to get some refreshments for your friends!" so they heard Daehwi's mother shout from downstairs. Daehwi groans in embarrassment but Minki offers to help bring said things up stairs. The youngest glances to Sewoon with a confused expression and Sewoon could really only mouth, 'you'll be fine. I'll stay behind with Dongho and talk about stuff so maybe try to stall?' He felt kind of sorry for the awkward Daehwi as he follows Minki back down but he really did want to try to figure out this whole mess between Minki and Dongho.

"Aah, I think he really hates me." Sewoon turns to Dongho, who tiredly sits on the floor and uses Daehwi's bed as a back rest. He follows the latter's lead in sitting down on the floor before hesitantly continuing from that sentence, "So about our conversation earlier at the park..."

Dongho glances over and easily clicks along with where he was trying to go along, "Oh. Yeah, Minki... he actually said those exact same words at Pledis Academy." Sewoon's eyes widened a little, "You guys... went to the same school?" Although Dongho could've taken offense to such a question, he just chuckles, "M-hm. I went to the same school for junior-high as Minki, in fact, I was friends with him, Minhyun, Jonghyun, and these hyungs called Aron and Jason. I guess you could say that we were all as close as brothers."

"What happened then?" he had to ask because comparing it to something like that would make no sense at their current time.

At that, Dongho sighs yet again that day, "I'm not quite sure either, but all I know is that everything went crashing down on Minki the most like a domino effect. We were grouped together for a project on a similar situation as right now in our 1st year: Aron was the transfer student from America, Jason was the foreign exchange student from China, I was still the iljin, and Minki, Minhyun, and Jonghyun were childhood friends. The difference was that Minki was much more shy and insecure. Somehow we made it through the project with the best grade out of the class and that was how our friendship started in some weird way. Wherever one of us went, the rest followed. We depended on each other, we teased each other, and we took comfort in each other.

"Some where along the way, we forgot that Jason was only an exchange student and suddenly left us without anyway of contacting him. Since Minki was the softest I guess you can say, he took it like he died. He locked himself in his room and wouldn't come out for days. We managed to pull along eventually which led to the end of 2nd year and Aron's end of 3rd year. Aron didn't leave us completely because he waited for us after school and we always managed to hang out some how even with busy schedules, but as time goes on with connections that are hard to keep track of... eventually he was out of the picture. It hit all of us pretty hard at this realization since we built more of a connection with him. It led to all of us blaming each other and opening old wounds with the add on of rumors we promised that we would never believe. Honestly, looking back at the damage we caused each other, it's a miracle that we even made up-"

"And you opened them and left them to bleed this time."

Sewoon and Dongho stopped with eyes wide of shock before both turning to the open door with Minki and Daehwi. The latter was holding some water bottles but was staring worriedly at the blond- anyone would, really. Minki's hands were curled into tight, shaking fists as his teeth were gritted, his eyebrows furrowing on the borderline between anger and sadness.

"You keep talking to me with the face of one of my dearest friends but you...!" Minki's voice goes strained, "You're nothing like him... he would've never hurt me by saying those things and if he were to leave... he would've left silently without extra damage..." The blond turns and runs without another word, not even stopping when everyone shouts his name.

The bedroom's atmosphere stiffened as they were unsure as to what to do. Dongho broke the silence, apologizing guiltily, "Sorry for ruining the atmosphere for something so serious. I should've kept my mouth shut when... I should probably leave now."

"I-It's fine!" Sewoon exclaimed in a panicked manner, "I- well- this honestly makes no sense!" Dongho and Daehwi were just as shocked as Sewoon was at himself for raising his voice like that since even he knew that his voice would-  _should_ not raise even when panicked.

"What do you mean, Sewoon-hyung?" Daehwi asked quietly.

"Because... Because if there's anything that I've learned from this project...!"

 _"People hate me and say that I give off a weird vibe... How else am I suppose to react to that? I mean, doesn't hyung think that too...?"_  
"Just because I'm 'cool and chic' doesn't mean I don't know how to cry for someone I don't even know... how to protect someone I don't even know... how to deal with the idea of being more flawed than anyone else..."  
"That's nice to hear- well, this environment is better anyways and not as stuffy as the one at school. It's nice to be away from all of those judging stares."

"It's that we have no right to judge someone... until we've fully heard what they have to say for themselves...!"

 

_17 days left._


	5. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I present to you... a very long chapter (it's 5,000 words (longest chapter I've ever written before o-o) but usually I type 1,000-2,000 words and yes I do know that epilogues aren't suppose to be the longest thing out of the entire story but it ended that way since I didn't necessarily know how to space out a 5 chaptered story ;w;).
> 
> Without further ado, I'd like to take this moment to say thank you everyone who followed this train-wreck of a story where I-screwed-a-lot-of-things-over-with-making-parallels-to-the-irl-PWF-team-but-it-worked-out-anyhow-so-I-guess-it's-fine(?) but I did enjoy typing this story because it did challenge me with trying to keep an overall serious tone along with making my chapters more informative with more content in a small amount of chapters.
> 
> Seriously, thank you all of my lovely readers, hopefully the story ends satisfyingly (is... is that a word? I'm just gonna cross my fingers and hope that that's a real word) (again yes I know I could've just said 'enjoy the last chapter' but that's no fun :P), and may we see each other again! (*・ω・)ﾉ

He didn't know how exactly he ended up in the school hallway, walking behind Minki. Sewoon was extremely close to say something before he saw how Minki turned, his stare changing to a glare as he turns back and walks quickly.

"Minki-ssi, please wait!"

Sewoon chased after the blond when the latter began to pick up his pace in walking. He tried his best not to stumble over his own feet while trying to match his pace, falling only slightly behind. He didn't want to dare trying to grab his wrist with the sight of that stoic face.

"Minki-ssi, please!"

He barely caught sight of how Minki bit the bottom of his lip before picking up his pace yet again. At this point, Sewoon had to jog in order to match his pace. In an act of urgency, his mouth moved without thinking.

"Dongho-ssi wants to apologize!"

The blond finally stopped in his tracks at those words, allowing Sewoon to relax a bit from the chase. Maybe it was overly dramatic or maybe it was just his mind itself paralleling his current situation to some sort of cheesy K-Drama, but Minki turned around and gave that cold stare that he was so infamous for. Minki takes a step forward, jabbing a slim finger at Sewoon's chest as he practically hisses, "I don't want to hear that from  _you_ out of all the people possible."

He admits that he was slightly afraid- maybe an expectation he picked up on because of all of the bad rumors he's heard about Minki for so long- but he was more-so taken a back. Sewoon thought that maybe they were acquaintances by now but with what Dongho had informed him he doubts that they were ever considered acquaintances in the first place.

Well, at most he was sure that Minki didn't see him as one.

"Would it be better if you heard from Daehwi-yah? Because he didn't necessarily try to socialize with us?" Sewoon quietly asked. He saw how Minki faltered slightly, a slight flinch to his expression as it broke from shock, before gritting his teeth as tears threatened to spill.

 "Don't bother trying to convince me. We're..." the blond took a deep breath, "This group is only together to work on a final project. Nothing more, nothing less. Everything will... return to normal once the project is over. Now don't try to talk to me again about whatever it is about Dongho."

With that, Minki turned and ran off, leaving Sewoon speechless.

* * *

"Should've figured. So he's still pretty sensitive to these kinds of things."

Some how, this scene was familiar: sitting on a bench, a can of coffee in his hand, sitting next to someone he's barely familiar with. As he traces the edge of the can, he ponders as to if this is how he copes with things. Sewoon looks over to Dongho from the corner of his eyes, asking, "Why don't you come back to school?"

"My first class is with Minki. Technically I can go but Minki would ditch from the sight of me and Minhyun and Jonghyun would blame me. I don't really have much of a choice unless I try to come at a time I think Minki wouldn't come or I just try to grab missing work from school," Dongho laughs weakly. A sigh escapes his mouth, "Sorry for getting you and Daehwi included with this whole mess."

"I-It's fine! I think... we would've ended up knowing some how since we would have to look for you to finish the project..." Sewoon mumbled, noticing that the can has gone warm. He thought back to how Minki treated him so differently in comparison to before the cafe incident, thinking that they got closer before remembering how Dongho mentioned that they use to be in a similar situation. Hesitantly, he asked, "Without the project... do you think you would've gotten close to Minki either way?"

The iljin looks over with a contemplating gaze before asking back, "The idea that maybe the project forced us to get along with each other and it wasn't out of our free will?"

Sewoon gives a careful nod to that.

"... Who knows. Maybe we would've ran into each other at one point or maybe we'd be avoiding each other because of how people deemed us as." Dongho shrugs before that nonchalant posture of his became soft, almost nostalgic in a sense. He softly continues, "All I know is that no matter how different we were, we were able to make it work out and formed a strong bond. We took comfort in each other's presence and we still worry over each other- or at least, I still worry over Minki even though Minhyun and Jonghyun still follow him around like guards of some sort... I miss him."

The last part was a whisper, nostalgia turning to vulnerability. Sewoon couldn't help but to frown slightly at that because yet again the pieces of information didn't connect properly. From what it seems to be, Minki was the one pushing Dongho- or more specifically everyone- away but it was Dongho who pushed Minki away first and broke the last bit of trust that he had.

_What exactly did Dongho do to push Minki from shy and insecure to someone cold and unreachable?_

"Maybe I should just stop. I appreciate you trying to help me but this obviously isn't going to work anymore. I'll finish my side of the project and you and Daehwi won't have to deal with this mess." Dongho stands up from the bench, making Sewoon panic. The latter stutters, "I-It's fine really! I think that- I mean- yes that was originally the purpose of trying to talk to you guys but- I..." his voice goes quiet as he wasn't quite sure if he was allowed to say this, "I believe that it would be nice... if we actually became friends by the end of this..."

He worries that he pushed the line, not daring to look up to Dongho in fear that he'll be met with the same look that Minki gave him this morning. To his confusion, he hears the bench creak and turns to see Dongho with a small smile.

"That's a nice new thinking style to how this thing will work," the small smile turned into a grin, stunning Sewoon as he didn't think that he said anything noble to be rewarded with such a grin. Dongho continues speaking, "During our junior high years, Minki was way more feminine back-"

"Wait a minute you're telling me the entire story now?!" Sewoon had to interrupt out of panic before closing his mouth at having such an outburst again. He continues quietly, trying to control his anxious heart, "I-Isn't this some super private stuff? That was why you left Daehwi's house after Minki left, right?"

"Well if you're going to help me then you need the entire story, don't you?" Dongho raised an eyebrow, an almost teasing expression that made Sewoon close his mouth again.

Dongho continues with a small clearing of the throat, "Minki wasn't really your average teenage boy. He had shoulder-length blond hair, he painted his nails, and he always had something cute and usually pink as an item. He was easily the target for bullying and since Minhyun and Jonghyun were his childhood friends- well they were obviously protective.

"When I first saw him, my immediate first thought was to ignore him. It's blatantly obvious that that was hypocritical of younger me. I was pretty petty back then since people always and still do judge me on first look and were immediately scared of me so being shunned like that made me shun Minki. That was until the project. I'd like to think that he understood how it was like to be misjudged so he used the project as an excuse to try to befriend me along with Aron and Jason. It's funny how you basically copied how he approached and got close to me- well, excluding that Minki and I always got into a lot of childish fights.

"You'd think that I'd be immune to stupid rumors hurting people by the time we were all close friends but the rumors got so much worse along with the bullying for Minki. Since Aron left, we were all more stressed about that since there were less people that Minki could count on. What set off everything and led to this was when a rumor got popularized with the same reoccurring theme," a scoff, "'Dongho forced Minki into this', 'Minki's actually giving his body out', you get the point after hearing such things: 'there's no way the school's princess and iljin can get along with each other without a catch to it'.

"I snapped at Minki at one point. Told him that he was a nuisance and that we don't need to keep pretending to be friends after the project ended. The insecurities of no one approaching us and instead leaving us made us both snap in a way. Looking back at it, I'm not sure if I yelled at him like that because I was afraid that he would try to leave me first or because I deluded myself into believing that Minki would be better protected this way," Dongho sighs, his gaze directing towards his lap.

Sewoon was a bit speechless at that, not expecting the story to progress like that. Slowly, he asks, "Then what made you suddenly want to fix your guys' relationship after breaking it like that?"

The iljin- no, the misunderstood student looks over to him and gives a slight smile, "I think it started with you trying to get everyone at least a little bit closer. The struggle to reach others was nostalgic, the fight with Minki even though it was messy was nostalgic, Daehwi's mom was nostalgic... I miss being by Minki's side and I regret what I did in the past too. You don't just shove away the first person who tried to genuinely reach for you, right?"

He was speechless for too long to even dare to respond as Dongho suddenly got up with his school bag. The latter stretches, saying, "Well, I'll try to come to school tomorrow but for now, the sun is almost completely down so we should head home already. See you later." he gives a small wave and smile before turning and walking away even without a response. It was then that Sewoon noticed something.

Black yarn that was roughly tied tightly with a single pink bead.

 

_ 15 days left. _

 

* * *

Sewoon anxiously waited, trying to distract his impatient brain with music but inevitably failing to do so. He glances over to the gate and saw Minki and was close to trying to catch his attention before he saw a crowd of boys following after him, talking excitedly towards one another. It was easy to tell that they were his fanboys and he decided to wait for lunch, considering how history class in front of everyone would lead to too many attentions wandering over to them.

After a quick talk with Daehwi- who seemed a bit more nervous than usual- about what happened, lunch quickly came rolling by. Turns out he forgot to calculate Minhyun and Jonghyun being a part of Minki's life. Sewoon and Daehwi were practically stuck watching from afar about how Minhyun fussed over Minki's slightly red eyes and how Jonghyun kept asking if he wanted to take the day off, both obviously making the blond annoyed from repeating the same thing.

Some how, he was rather tired when school ended without any way to talk to Minki.

 _Maybe it's because I've been trying to reach him and there was little to no progression..._ Sewoon lets out a small sigh as he walked down the empty hallway, packing up late since he still needed to copy down notes.

"Hey." He looks up to see Dongho at the end of the hallway, his bag casually slung over his shoulder. Even though the bag was barely seen with his rather wide shoulders, he still noticed the pink bead where it took a bit of tilting his head to see.

"Couldn't reach Minki?" he asked. Sewoon shakes his head 'no' albeit slowly, feeling slightly ashamed for not being able to reach the blond. Dongho gives a reassuring smile (and if anyone else had seen that they would've freaked out or try to eavesdrop on them), "It's fine. I'll treat you to some desserts at Pledis Cafe if you want."

"W-Wait a minute!"

Before Sewoon could take a step, he turns at the sound of Daehwi's voice and noticed the youngest looking a bit breathless, obviously forcing Minki to follow him as he still struggled to drag said protesting blond by the wrist. When they were at maybe an arms-length away from Dongho, Daehwi lets go of Minki who immediately rubs his slightly red wrist while mumbling a few curses under his breath.

"Daehwi, I seriously don't have time for this. Minhyun and Jonghyun are waiting for me at Pledis Cafe and if I don't get there then they'll freak out and think I'm dead," Minki said, oblivious to Dongho's presence. He wasn't so oblivious when Dongho spoke up with an amused tone, "So you can't remember Sewoon and call him Ponyo but you can remember Daehwi?"

The blond flushes, turning to Dongho and hissing, "Shut up." but the order went over deaf ears as Dongho tilts his body a bit and tells Daehwi and Sewoon, "Don't worry, it means he has a soft spot for you guys." He only 'shuts up' when Minki takes a step forward and slaps him on the arm.

"Anyways why was I dragged here?" Minki huffs indignantly, crossing his arms.

Luckily Sewoon didn't have to nudge Dongho to remind him as to what he should do, the latter taking a deep breath. He makes sure to keep eye contact with Minki, saying steadily yet truthfully, "I wanted to tell you that I want to tie up the loose ends of the problem I left open... in that, I'm sorry. I know that just saying sorry won't solve what had happened, but I'm really sorry..." That was where Dongho wavered, hesitance noticeable as his gaze lowers to the ground, his voice shakily saying, "And it's fine if... if you still don't fully forgive me and I can't be your friend anymore... just forgive me enough until this project ends..."

There was a moment of tense silence what with Dongho looking ashamed and Sewoon and Daehwi stuck fidgeting nervously as they waited for something to be said. It was only until the silence was cut off by Minki's sigh.

"I forgive you."

Sewoon and Dongho met gazes, both expressing confusion before they turn to look at Minki, who glares, "Why are you guys looking at me like that?" before the glare weakens to a slight pout. "Jeez... I heard everything you told Ponyo at the park yesterday."

"Ah," they turn to Daehwi, who gives a sheepish smile, "To explain, before I went to the park to meet you guys to try to solve Dongho-ssi's and Minki-hyung's problem, I ran into Minki-hyung and we kinda talked along the way about random stuff since he was heading to the park too. When we heard you guys I stopped Minki-hyung from interrupting and yelling at Dongho-ssi for being there since we were stuck in a similar situation at my house. Sorry that we eavesdropped on you guys..."

Someone who was normal would've taken offense or gotten angry at the idea of being spied on, but considering how basically no one was exactly 'normal' in the group, Dongho's face lit up with a smile, shouting happily, "No don't be sorry! You helped us so much by just doing that!" He runs over to Daehwi and tackles him into a hug after practically shoving his bag into Sewoon's arms. Dongho seemed to have forgotten that he was strong for a teenage boy and had wide shoulders and basically rammed his shoulder blade into his neck, making the youngest choke loudly.

"Yah ya dumb tiger you're choking him!" Minki yelled, shoving Dongho to the side but inevitably making his shoulder hit Daehwi in the jaw. Dongho and Minki ended up bickering as Daehwi rubbed his jaw with a slight pout.

Some how, the scene felt... warm.

In the first time in a while, Sewoon laughed.

 

_14 days left._

 

* * *

"Holy crap, I didn't think this would actually happen," so Gwanghyun greeted him the next morning with a gaping expression along with Jaehwan.

Sewoon awkwardly smiles in return, trying to find a comfortable position with Minki practically using him as a back rest as he was typing up their presentation on his laptop. Daehwi seemed to be the only one who paid attention as he looked up and greeted the two whereas Dongho was focused on reading one of the many books they checked out from the library yesterday after realizing 'oh fluff we only have 14 days left to work on our presentation and one of us doesn't even know what the hell is going on with the project'.

"Well it worked and here we are now." Sewoon was aware that he was gaining strange and confused stares from basically everyone passing by but Minki sent a glare to them, silencing them and making them rush off.

"Is there something wrong with this?" Minki turned to Gwanghyun and Jaehwan, his gaze challenging them to say something. Sewoon figured that Jaehwan would've retorted with something but when Dongho finally looked up his two friends let out a squeak of a 'nope!' before running off.

"We really need to fix that," Minki glances over to Dongho, the latter responding with a confused and innocent, "Fix what?" and making Minki sigh.

"I'll clear things up with those two later," Sewoon gives a small smile as Daehwi giggles.

"By the way, I've been meaning to ask this Minki, but the conversation at the park with me and Sewoon probably didn't contribute to the final thought of forgiving me. What was what made you forgive me so easily?" Dongho asked, making everyone turn to the blond curiously too (or in Sewoon's case, turn as much as he could without getting yelled at).

Minki blinks, his eyes wide with surprise at the sudden question, before pointing at Dongho's bag, a small smile as he says, "Well I was close to not forgiving you because although it was sincere I couldn't forgive you for how you hurt me even when we agreed to not listen to those rumors... but you wouldn't have kept that bracelet if you were truly trying to hurt me and apologizing just for a dumb project..."

"Now that I think about it, where did you get those bracelets?" Daehwi asked curiously.

"Oh, when it was the six of us at our closest, Minki made all of us friendship bracelets. That was during the time he was still small, shy, and cute though compared to his sassy self now-" Minki threw his pencil bag straight into Dongho's face, leading to the two bickering childishly again.

They laughed.

 

_13 days left._

 

* * *

"Hey Daehwi-yah, you know Baejin?"

It was like any normal scene you would see in one of those slice-of-life stuff but if Sewoon were to be honest, he never thought that he'd be sitting next to the popular kid, who was eating a parfait, diagonally across from the cool and chic kid, who was sipping on some americano, and across from the school rebel, who was trying to get the presentation to work on Minki's laptop, in Pledis Cafe. But hey, look at where they're at now.

"'Baejin'? Oh, you mean Bae Jinyoung? Um- sort of. He's considered as one of the popular kids too but isn't he the kid who always stares down at the floor?" Daehwi asked innocently after taking another scoop of some vanilla ice cream to eat.

"Yeah that kid, and he stares at the floor 'cause his self-esteem is kinda trash to put it bluntly," Minki said and Sewoon was glad that the blond added the the last part or else that would've been very rude, even if he knew that he can get quite emotional. The blond continue talking, "He's part of my fanclub and I've talked with him a bit recently about school and stuff. He said he wants to meet you and be your friend."

Daehwi lights up immediately at that, "R-Really?" before he seems to retract his question as he fidgets nervously, "B-But why does he want to..."

"He said he sees you by yourself a lot when you're not with Ponyo and he thinks that maybe you guys can be friends since you guys don't really belong to a particular friend group. Either that or I misheard him and he actually said that he wants to eat bread," Minki shrugs, "I've dealt with listening to shy mumbling before so I'm pretty sure I heard him right."

The youngest looks over to Sewoon, asking quietly, "Do you think I'll be fine...?" Sewoon smiles reassuringly towards the younger, saying, "I think you'll be fine. He doesn't seem like the type to easily leave you for someone else."

"And if he does I can always give him one of my infamous glares."

"I don't care who you are but don't you _dare_ try to scare off one of my kids."

"Then what does this group count as if we get hurt?"

"... You guys are my friends. But seriously no one's allowed to harm a single hair on both my kids _and_ my friends."

Sewon confirmed that Minki could be a protective mother hen if he wanted to be.

 

_10 days left._

 

* * *

Daehwi squeaks, "There he is!" making Sewoon look up to see the ever so famous Jinyoung- or Baejin- run into a tree since he was looking at his feet, rub his head, jolting and checking if anyone saw, and his face flushing a bright red of embarrassment when his gaze met Sewoon's and Daehwi's gazes. The poor embarrassed boy then proceeded to run, basically shoving the school doors open.

"You think he's really interested in being my friend?" Daehwi asked nervously.

"Well I think so," Sewoon said, tuning his guitar to strum a song or two while they wait for Minki and Dongho to get to school.

"W-What if..." Daehwi mumbled. He fidgeted with the hem of his uniform, playing with a loose string on it as to distract himself.

Even though his focus wasn't on Sewoon, he still barely saw how his eyebrows were scrunched up worriedly. Insecurity was shown through his body position too with how he was slouching and thus slightly curled up.

Assuringly, he tells the younger, "If you're still nervous that he'll end up like one of those kids that hung out with you before leaving then you can always wait a bit more. Considering how he reacted then, I think it's safe to assume that you can approach him normally." He puts a bit more thought into what he would say next, knowing that he can't just end off like that.

"But if he does end up being like that- well- you can always consult with me about what happened. I'm still willing to be your friend even then," he offers a smile that naturally comes with that promise.

The younger takes a deep breath to calm his nerves before giving Sewoon a smile back. "Thanks, hyung. Some times I feel like a burden to you when you say that though..." he laughs awkwardly.

"You shouldn't feel like a burden. I actually think that it would be weird to not be able to speak to you normally like this one day."

"Yeah... that's a thought that I don't like either," he finally laughs freely, making Sewoon feel relieved in return.

Sewoon confirmed that Daehwi would always be welcomed back to his side.

 

_5 days left._

 

* * *

Sewoon and Daehwi just kind of stare awkwardly from the side-lines as Minhyun and Jonghyun were basically barking obviously not the nicest stuff at Dongho. Even though they couldn't hear any coherent words from this distance, they can read the situation pretty well seeing how Dongho just stood there with a confused smile and Minki was pinching his nose while shaking his head.

"Maybe we shouldn't have been so oblivious about hanging out with both Minki-hyung and Dongho-hyung," Daehwi said, Sewoon nodding to that statement as Minki finally decided to walk between the two before screaming at them, scaring the crap out of anyone in that specific area from the sudden raise in voice.

It seemed like the problem solved some how when after school Minki decided to spend time with his over-protective (or understandably protective?) friends as to catch them up since he had been spending more time with them. It was still only Sewoon and Dongho at Pledis Cafe since Daehwi did end up becoming friends with Jinyoung and they decided to head to an arcade to spend more time together.

"Sorry you had to see that during lunch," Dongho said before muttering something about 'stupid block-up ads' as he still had Minki's laptop to enter his bit of the presentation.

"It's fine. At least you got to see them again?" Sewoon was just trying his best to stay optimistic.

"I guess, but not the best time to meet up, you know," Dongho mumbled, finally finishing his part before closing the laptop and carefully putting it in his school bag.

"But you can see them without feeling burdened now, right?"

"... Yeah, that's true," Dongho relaxes with a smile that Sewoon and Daehwi have become more than acquainted with now. "Thanks, by the way."

He looks at the other with confusion, "Thanks for what?"

"Thanks for trying to deal with us to get this presentation done before genuinely trying to deal with us. You and Daehwi-yah really saved the broken tie between me and Minki but if you hadn't gotten close to Daehwi-yah first, then all of us wouldn't be where we are right now. Really, thank you."

Sewoon confirmed that Dongho was very comfortable to be around with.

_But what brought this up?_

 

_1 day left._

 

* * *

When they stood in front of the classroom that was still busy with chatter as they wait, they all gave each other a nervous glance.

Dongho rubbed his arm awkwardly, Minki lets out a sigh, Daehwi rocked back and forth on his feet, and Sewoon could only really hope for some sort of reassurance but even he was having trouble as to whether he should click to start their presentation.

"Hey guys."

They look over to Minki who smiles one of his rare smiles, "Stop being nervous. Worst that could happen is Dongho actually never understanding our project in the first place." to which it earns a 'Hey! I spent a majority of my days focusing on just this to make sure all of my resources were correct!' from Dongho.

It was only until Daehwi giggles that the four finally relaxed.

"Seriously, relax. Learn how to build some self-confidence," Minki said, Dongho murmuring something about how Minki lacked any confidence for a couple of years and gets a smack on the arm as a response.

"Okay, I'm starting," Sewoon smiles.

And he clicks to start and end.

 

_0 days left._

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

He looks at the red and underlined '100' at the corner of his paper, but for some reason a tired sigh left his mouth.

 _Cross that out. That sigh wasn't for some reason._ Sewoon thought as he folds the paper neatly before putting it into his pocket. He continued to wander about the hallways, hoping to run into at least Gwanghyun or Jaehwan since lunch consisted of various locations for them. During this walk, he thought back to how they were all nervous that day and said day was where he thought that they were nervous because they were afraid to fail.

No.

They were afraid as to what will happen to them after the project has been presented.

He wonders if the result spoke for itself where he built confidence in their relationships when _days left for the presentation_ became _days left... until they're maybe no longer by each other_. Sewoon thinks that the world was just a bit too cruel, but maybe that was what he gets for trying to get along with them only for some red ink on a flimsy sheet of paper.

It felt like the world was mocking him as he had no courage to approach any of them in the past few days; Daehwi was always talking animatedly with Jinyoung on the way to first class, Minki was constantly surrounded by his childhood friends and fanboys again, and Dongho was no where to be found again.

Again, Sewoon honestly never thought that they would end up this close.

Even when he was with Gwanghyun or Jaehwan, they would always point out that he looked a bit glum even with his guitar or that he was acting a bit more like a bingu than usual or that he seemed to be causing problems for himself. Of course, they tried to cheer him up but it worked for a fairly short amount of time.

Again, this was a bit too cruel of the world.

Sewoon suddenly runs into someone, watching a school bag drop onto the floor and his life literally flashes before his eyes as he's suddenly held up into the air by a collar and staring at the same face that bullied Yongjin that one time. It takes him five seconds for him to realize:

Crap.

Like.

Holy crap.

"Hah?! You think you're a real tough guy don't ya? Thinking that you can bump into me like that huh?! I think someone deserves a beating here!" and Sewoon low-key complained about the guy's breath and spit while he spoke but now wasn't the time for that. When he saw a fist being raised, he squeezed his eyes shut, knowing that this will definitely hurt.

"YAH BACK  OFF FROM PONYO!"

He opened his eyes just in time to see a familiar blond's elbow smack directly into the bully's face. The bully loosened his grip, making Sewoon fall before he was caught from behind by someone who had a bit of trouble trying to catch him since he was slightly smaller.

"You better get running."

Everything felt like deja vu when he saw how the lackies picked up the bully and ran off after turn pale at the sight of a familiar intimidating figure. He was still a bit stunned even when he was properly brought back to his feet.

"Hyung are you okay?"

It takes maybe three seconds for Sewoon to completely check his surroundings. He saw Dongho still glaring in the direction that the bullies went, Minki muttering curses as he took out a pocket tissue to clean his shoe of the nose blood, and Daehwi worriedly looking at Sewoon.

"Y-Yeah, I'm fine..." he manages to stutter, feeling a bit dumb for his thought processes about 'the world being cruel' back then.

"Yeah that's dumb even for you Ponyo." and Sewoon was close to asking 'how did you know before he met Minki's unimpressed gaze, "You said that out loud, bingu." The blond seemed to always know how to make anyone close their mouth shut whether through sass or by force.

"I hope you realized that I've been stuck trying to make up time to Minhyun and Jonghyun for spending most of my time with you. I'm free now if you're wondering," Minki lets out a small sigh, murmuring about how their bracelets were starting to break too and how he needed to figure out a way to remake their bracelets.

_Wha...?_

"Jinyoung will be gone over the entire break for vacation so we were trying to make up for it before break would start. I-I'm free too," Daehwi smiles, fidgeting with his fingers as it seems to have now become his habit.

"I actually thought that break started already before Minki texted me about why I wasn't at school today. Oh, I don't have anything planned later today either," Dongho sheepishly smiles as he rubs the back of his neck. The blond then immediately hisses at Dongho, "Aisht seriously how can you be so dumb!" He ends up pouting, murmuring, "I won't forgive you entirely unless you stay by my side again..." making Dongho comment 'wow that was actually cute' before getting a punch to the arm.

Even with everything turning out to be like this, Sewoon was still dazed until Daehwi speaks up, ignoring that Minki and Dongho were bickering childishly yet again. He looks over to the youngest to see that he was shyly smiling.

"Um- since I think it's confirmed that we'll hang out after school today... Can I still learn how to play the guitar from you?"

Sewoon couldn't help but freeze, looking back to see that Dongho now having Minki in a headlock and ruffling his hair, the former laughing as the latter threatened to bite his arm again while trying to conceal a smile. He looks back to Daehwi, who was still offering his best smile as he fidgets in place.

It felt like a weight has been lifted off of his shoulders as his chest felt light and warm. He thinks back to the memories that varied from peaceful, to calming, to emotional, to passion, to frigid and to warmth. He smiles.

"Of course."


End file.
